Current standards for diabetes management reflect the need to maintain glucose control within a normal range. However, numerous reports indicate that normalization of blood glucose levels is seldom attainable in children and adolescents. Family cohesion, positive coping strategies, younger age of onset, social support and adequate self-regulatory behavior are found to favorably influence glycemic control. One may conclude that the presence of a companion animal, capable of enhancing the positive factors named above, would augment the array of tools available for the successful management of chronic illnesses such as T1DM.